The workplace has become a stressful place where employees are exposed to various sources of stress. These include long working hours, high workloads, lack of control, poor communication, and conflict. All these factors contribute to increasing levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace.
Stress and anxiety can cause serious problems such as depression, heart disease, and diabetes. Consider taking the following steps to reduce stress at work.
1. Establish Clear Boundaries at Work
The phrase “work-life balance” is often used to refer to balancing personal time and time spent working. However, you can rethink your work-life balance by blending activities that you enjoy with your work deadlines.
Plan to check work emails and messages during specific times so you can spend time with your family. When you are on vacation, let your coworkers know you will be away from the office and request that they contact another coworker. Putting boundaries in place at work lets you feel in control of your personal life, so you can come back to the office refreshed.
2. Define Your Job’s Work Requirements
The ambiguity of job requirements has been linked to employee burnout. If you don’t know what is expected of you or if the requirements change frequently, you can become stressed out.
Your manager is the best person to ask if what you’re doing is sufficient. Request to meet with them to review expectations and talk about how to meet them. As a result of this discussion, the two of you will feel less stressed.
3. Take Regular Breaks
The human brain can focus on a task for 90-120 minutes before it needs to rest. You should take regular breaks to get up and move around every hour or so, allowing you to mentally disconnect from stressful activities.
Taking a short break can consist of going outside for a brisk walk, getting some snacks, and stretching at your desk, especially after long meetings. You can encourage employees to take time away from their desk. When everyone has the time and space they need to relax, they can perform at their best consistently.
4. Eat Healthy Food
Low blood sugar can cause you to feel anxious and irritable, and overeating can leave you feeling lethargic. Maintaining an even blood sugar level may be possible with small and healthy meals. Your diet can also affect your mood, so limit your intake of coffee and foods with artificial preservatives and hormones. Such foods may negatively impact your mood.
Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet through foods like salmon, anchovies, seaweed, flaxseed, and walnuts can improve your mood. Workplaces can also provide healthy snacks and catered lunches to encourage employees to eat healthy.
5. Practice Mindfulness
Stress levels can rise when we dwell on previous mistakes at work, worry about meeting tight deadlines and self-criticize our work performance. The brain can learn to break these bad habits with mindfulness. By practicing mindfulness, you can keep your focus on the present moment and be curious and accepting of new possibilities.
You can develop your mindfulness through guided meditation and mindful walking. On-site yoga and guided meditation workshops provide employees with frequent opportunities to practice mindfulness. More space and time provided by your organization for workers to practice mindfulness may increase their chances of doing so
6. Participate in Group Activities
An employee’s stress level goes up when they are forced to handle problems without any help. However, the ability to handle stress is significantly better for people who have a support system.
You might offer workers the opportunity to interact in small groups at your office so they can become better acquainted. Cross-departmental cooperation on major projects is vital to building effective, long-term relationships for your organization.
Providing opportunities for socialization outside of the workplace can also be helpful. A meeting in a less formal setting, such as a neighborhood restaurant, may help people bond and laugh together. Instead of bringing up work-related issues when you’re out having fun with your coworkers, explore fun interests like music, movies, and restaurant recommendations.
7. Use the Employee Assistance Program
The first line of defense against job-related stress should be changing the work environment. However, understanding the symptoms, causes, and treatments of stress can also be beneficial.
Many businesses offer stress management training or mental health resources through employee assistance programs (EAPs). A stress management program may be available to help you develop the skills and tools you need. Some of these strategies include time management, deep breathing, relaxation training, and assertiveness training.
Use Resources at Work to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Anxiety and stress are inevitable parts of daily life, but they do not need to hold you back at work. The stress and anxiety that come with your job can be viewed as chances for advancement.
Taking care of your health, building stronger relationships with your coworkers, and asking for help are important not only for yourself, but also for your workplace. The better you handle your work-related stress and anxiety, the less they can disrupt your work performance.